


Colorful Roads

by AlwaysHappytoHelp



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, I Blame Tumblr, I'm a sappy person, Maybe Romance? - Freeform, Maybe a gimmick, Probably romance, Slow Burn, Who's it gonna be?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-11 20:55:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19117522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysHappytoHelp/pseuds/AlwaysHappytoHelp
Summary: What if the world did not restart? How would everything line back up? Where do they go now? And just who is she? Tags, title and rating subject to change.





	1. A Single Step

Fire-god Liu Kang stood over the shattered pieces of Kronika. Even though everything around him was now calm, he could feel every hair on his body standing on end. His eyes moved to fall on the hourglass. There was a slight hum in the air coming from the object. A white light was pulsating in tandem with the hum. The sound and light were steadily growing stronger, faster, and louder. Liu Kang shifted his stance to face the hourglass, unsure of what was about to happen. The hum was near deafening, and light caused the demigod to shield his eyes. The air in the room suddenly grew unbearably thin.

  
The crescendo was abrupt and made the sole occupant of the room feel as though he was being ripped apart. A flash of blinding light burned his skin, and the thunderous roar that the hum had built into made his head feel like it was going to explode. In the blink of an eye, it was over. Liu Kang found himself on the floor, gasping for breath, every fiber of his being was tingling, his ears were ringing, and his vision was blurry. Carefully, Liu Kang lifted his hand to his face to rub his eyes, trying to clear his sight. He sat up and blinked several times. Vaguely, two things occurred to him. The hair that he brushed from his face was black now and, more importantly, he was, in fact, not alone anymore. Not ten feet from where he sat, hunched over something, was the unmistakable form of Lord Raiden.

  
His mouth opened to speak, only to cough, and the realization that his throat was so parched it was painful. He tried his best to clear it before finally croaking out a soft and weak, "Lord Raiden?"

The demigod shifted to face the other man, his eyes were wide. A mix of shock, confusion, and relief could be seen in his features.

  
"Liu... Liu Kang. It is comforting to know you are alive. However, that makes me wonder..." He trailed off while turning to look at what it was he was holding.

  
Liu Kang felt his legs may have the strength to support him once again and attempted to stand. Stumbling slightly before he regained his balance and slowly making his way to his friend. The young man's brows rose nearly far enough to meet his hairline at the sight of what the god was holding, a woman. Raiden turned his head to face the other man again as he came to a stop next to him.

  
"Do you know who she is?" Raiden's voice was low, hardly more than a whisper.

  
Liu Kang looked her over again, trying to place her in his recollection before matching the soft tone of Raiden, "I do not."

  
She was undoubtedly not the time-keeper whose shattered fragments still rested a short distance from the men. Nor was she Cetrion. Liu Kang looked around the room. The revenants were gone without a trace. Only the three of them and the shards of Kronika were in the place with the glowing hourglass. It was seemingly calm now as if it had been returned to its normal flow.

  
She was young in appearance, small in build. Her face was obscured by her white hair, the angle of her head and Raiden's chest. Her body was covered by what looked to be one large piece of white cloth that started at her shoulders and extended to just above her knees. Her exposed skin showed similarity to Raiden's. Liu Kang was confident she was no mortal being, but if Lord Raiden did not know her, then maybe he was wrong.

  
Before the two men could say any more, there was a loud crash behind them. Their heads spun toward the sound. Liu Kang did his best to resume his battle stance, though he knew if he were to face a strong opponent, he would fall quickly. Another crash and the door to the room was flung open. Raiden had sprung to his feet, and the two stood to wait for the dust to settle, as ready as they could be for what was coming through the door. Though both nearly fell back to the floor when Kung Lao, Kitana, and Cassie Cage ran forward followed by much of the rest of the sizable force they had brought with them to the keep.

  
Kung Lao went to Liu Kang's side, catching the man as his knees buckled. Kitana and Cassie came to a stop before them. All the faces that had now joined them held the same look of nervous trepidation. Jacqui Briggs stood next to Jade and her father, the elder Jax, was behind them. Liu Kang began looking closer to notice some people were missing, ones he knew had come with them. The younger versions of Scorpion and Jax were not with the army.

  
"Is the battle over?" The Empress of Outworld's voice met the Shaolin's ears. He looked to Raiden, who nodded, he returned the gesture towards Kitana. She nodded back to him and reach out to help Raiden as he seemed to struggle with stepping forward, "Then, let us leave this place. There is much to tell on both our behalves."

  
"I believe you are more correct than you realize, Kitana Kahn." Raiden's voice was growing in strength now.

  
Her elegant brow raised as she was forming her question to the thunder god. However, the young Miss Cage's voice caused her own to die in her throat.

  
"Umm... Who is this?" The blonde fighter sounded both surprised and confused.

  
All near enough to them turned toward the direction that Cassie was pointing. The young woman that Raiden had been cradling a few moments before.

"Liu Kang and I do not know who she is. However, I am able to only sense calm and gentleness from her. I may have an idea of who she could be, but I need to rest before I am able to verify my hunch."

  
Questioning looks passed across all who were present faces at the words. Yet, it was Cassie recovered first, "So... We bringing her?" Raiden nodded. The blonde turned and knelt. Unfortunately, due to the quick strike of a Neatherrealm grunt earlier in the day her ribs and back rippled in pain, she had not realized she had been injured until then. She let out a hiss and quickly stood again.

  
Without a word, Jax walked forward and quickly scooped up the white-haired stranger before nodding to his god-daughter. She gave him a grateful look as Jacqui came to her side to help her back to Kharon's fleet. Slowly, the hourglass room was left empty as the army returned to the ships and turned to sail again. In time, Raiden knew that he would return, he knew that there was more to be done with the hourglass. Someone would need to return to protect time. But for now, there were more important things to settle. First and foremost, however, Raiden required to rest, and he would use the calm of the return sail to do just that.

  
The following days passed with little fanfare. Lord Raiden and Liu Kang were exhausted from their battles with Kronika's forces. The time to sail back was not enough. The leaders of the factions decided it would be best to let them rest and return to their lives until the time came that Raiden had the strength to discuss the battle. One week, never had he been so weak to require a full seven days to recover. Liu Kang was up and moving in less time. Raiden was hardly sure what had caused such a drain on his power, but his hunch was ever growing.

  
In the time that he rested, he would ask about the white-haired girl. She was housed at the Fire Gardens with him. The temporary Grandmaster, acting only until a new one could be chosen to replace Grandmaster Hasashi, had insisted that Lord Raiden and the girl be left to recover there. The Shirai Ryu kept guard over the two, despite the repeated offers for more guards. The others were welcome to visit, but they would be guarded in the friendly zone.  
On the eighth day, Raiden asked that word be sent to the others. He was ready to talk. While he waited for the leaders of the other forces to arrive, he went to see the girl. She was in a room not far from the one he recovered in himself. As she laid on the bedding tucked away in a far corner, one could be forgiven for thinking she was but a pile of pillows or a doll. He came to sit beside her and study her a little closer. The only movement from her body being the gentle rise and fall of her chest, exposing the fact she was indeed breathing.

  
"I have been told that she has awoken enough to mumble or cry in her slumber." The voice startled the thunder god to suddenly turn towards the door. A kind smile came to his face when his eyes landed on his dear friend.

  
"Liu Kang, I did not expect you to arrive so quickly."

  
"I was already here to check on you when you sent the word out. I asked the message to be taken to the masters in case they wish to send another representative as well." Liu Kang came to sit next to Raiden as he spoke.

  
"I see. I am humbled by your concern and appreciative of your kindness." The younger man hummed at him. A brief silence passed over the two men as they sat staring at the strange girl. Soon enough, though, Raiden could feel the eyes of his companion boring into the side of his head. He had to suppress the chuckle that threatened to spill from him before he spoke, "I did not speak in fallacy when I stated I did not know her, Liu Kang. I do not know who she is still." Here he turned to face the other man fully before continuing, "Though, I feel that I would be able to get a better idea of what happened if you would tell me what occurred between the point you and I merged until we were separated in Kronika's Keep."

  
Liu Kang turned to face his friend as well and eyed him for a moment or two longer. He had known Raiden long enough to know when he knew more than he was letting on. He also knew him well enough to know that if he was holding back, there was a reason. The Shaolin sighed and cleared his throat, sparing one more glance to the pale face of the sleeping girl before he began relaying everything that had occurred between the two points. When he had finished, it was nearing the evening, and the thunder god had remained silent. The silence was causing Liu Kang to feel a bit on edge. Even when he spoke of the explosive behavior of the hourglass just before they had separated, Raiden had not yet lifted an eyebrow. Now he sat, still, stoic, and completely silent.

  
Liu Kang was digging in his mind to find something to say when Raiden finally broke the unnerving silence, "What you have told me is both wondrous and terrifying, Liu Kang. And, I am not sure if I am to be elated or preparing for more trouble."

  
Liu Kang's brows raised, "More trouble, Lord Raiden? What more could there be? Kronika is gone now."

  
"For now, yes, she is," Raiden said dully as he swiveled his head to look to the girl again, "however, I am not certain she will remain… gone, as you say."

  
Liu Kang followed the gaze of Raiden to the girl, "Lord Raiden, do you believe she could be Kronika?"

  
"I do not know, Liu Kang, and I will need to gather more information before I could say either way. Let us wait for the others and hear what happened with them. Perhaps, what they encountered will help me better understand what has happened and who this girl is."

  
This made Liu Kang nervous, but he knew that there was wisdom in Raiden's words. They would wait, and they would hear their allies' stories. Maybe, just maybe, the hunch that the Thunder God had was indeed wrong.


	2. Without Direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Earthrealm and Outworld forces meet to look into picking up the pieces left behind. So many questions, so little answers.

It was not long before the others had arrived. Cassie Cage, her best friend Jacqui came to represent the Special Forces along with the surprising company of Kabal. They were aware of the questions this would raise, and his presence was part of their explanation. The emissary of Outworld consisted of Kitana Kahn and two bodyguards. Her lifelong friend Jade and the gunslinger, Erron Black. One of the few to come alone was Sub-Zero. He came to represent his clan and ensure their safety going forward. Kung Lao was the last to arrive, having come to bring word to Liu Kang that the Shaolin had chosen him as the emissary and stay with him if needed.

The Shirai Ryu gave them a place in the garden, among the red-leafed trees, to speak. An uneasy chatter rose while everyone found places to sit or stand for the meeting. Raiden stood at the head of a low table, watching the others. His face was creased deeply with unspoken worry. Liu Kang took a seat to Raiden’s left, Kitana beside him, close enough for a raised eyebrow from the god that caused them both to flush and her to scoot away slightly. Behind them stood her guards and Kung Lao, low volume comments being spoken between the monk and Jade. Raiden turned his attention to the right side of the table, Cassie Cage and Kuai Liang were seated there. Jacqui and the masked Kabal stood behind the two, silent and stoic themselves while they stared at Raiden.

He cleared his throat, and almost instantly, all the chatter died. Every eye was on him. With a sharp intake of breath, he turned to Cassie first, “Commander, I understand that you have brought news for us. Would you like to start?”

The woman glanced to the others and frowned slightly when she realized they were all looking to her now. ‘Great,’ she thought before speaking herself.

“Sure,” She began as she stood. “As I am sure you are all aware, there have been some… strange… developments since Kronika’s defeat. From the best, we can guess it seems that those who came forward in time who were revenants have merged.” She motioned to Kabal at this point, “From what he says, he now has the memories of his revenant form and some of the scars too.” Kabal shifted his weight between feet, feeling very unnerved that the Commander was bringing up the topic of his scars. 

A new voice joined the conversation, “I can confirm his account on the memories,” Jade stated. She then glanced to Kung Lao and Kitana who both nodded in agreement.

It was Erron’s turn to shift his weight, his eyes locked on Kabal’s mask. The outworld women both turned to look at him with arched brows. He nodded and cleared his throat so that his voice was only slightly rough, “Can we trust him?” 

Kabal’s fist clenched, he knew his glare could not be seen through the mask he bore. However, every person in the vicinity could feel the tension in the air from the question. They looked to him for an answer. However, by whatever grace, there may be, Cassie spoke instead, “I do. His recollection is verifiable by the records. And his temperament toward his past is vastly changed. He has both stated, and, as far as most of us are concerned, proven with his actions this point. Cranky, mouthy, and crass as he can be, I trust him enough to have him stand behind me.”

Eyes darted between the Commander and the, former, mercenary, but there was no more spoken dissidence. Cassie gave an affirmative nod then a groan, now she had to finish what she was saying. “Now, for the others that were sent forward but had lives that continued beyond the point where they were pulled from…” Her shoulders slumped a little as she thought of her mother, “They were sent back, we think. Jacqui and I are still here. So, we assume that the past is still more or less the same.” She shifted her eyes to Erron, silently signaling to him that if he had a rebuttal, as the only one present to have come forward while still being able to stand where he did. The cowboy gave a shrug and a small shake of his head.

“Also, Baraka and the Tarkatans have seemed to have returned as well. We have had no signs of them in the time that has passed,” Kitana spoke, her tone one of lament. They were good allies once their loyalty had been won. Now they were gone again. The meeting allotted a moment of silence to pass, honor to the warriors.

Cassie then turned to Raiden and nodded to signal she was finished and returned to her seat. As Raiden stepped forward again, he saw a question in the Lin Kuei Grandmaster’s eye.

“Speak your mind, Kuai Liang.” His voice was calm and strangely knowing.

There was only a low hum at first, but when everyone’s attention was on the man clad in blue, he knew that he would have to speak. He had no choice now, “Tell us, Lord Raiden. If what Commander Cage has concluded is true, why are you still here? Are you not one who was both sent forward and still had a life beyond the disruption point?”

Murmurs came from the others, this was an excellent question to pose. Even the Thunder God had to admit such. He hung his head and closed his eyes, “I have not been able to look into such matters. My current assumption is that it may be due to my existing outside of the bonds of time. Liu Kang has told me the events that occurred just before we were separated. I believe the hourglass re-aligned itself. I believe that, in doing so, it created a second version of me. A copy so that I could both remain here and play the role needed for events to unfold the same. I cannot say for certain if this is true or, if it is, which I am. Perhaps the copy of me was sent back, or I may be a copy of the one that was sent forward. However, that is only what I can currently assume.”

There were exchanges of looks around the table. Weary and wary was the only way to describe them all at the moment. Raiden wondered if perhaps he should have done some searching before calling this meeting. He sighed, would it have been better to seek out more information first? Likely, but it was too late now. The demigod was deep in thought, contemplating the situation, so deep in fact that it was only the clear sound of a hard knock on the table that brought him back to his body. He blinked to see that he was pinned by intense gazes. His own eyes went to each attendant while he searched for a hint to what he had missed while he was lost in his mind.

Movement from Kitana drew his attention to her. She gave a small nod, hiding a knowing smirk, and spoke, “Lord Raiden, I will repeat Commander Cage’s question for you. The young lady that was with you and Liu Kang at the hourglass. What has become of her?”

Raiden closed his eyes, more non-information to give this meeting was not going to go over well, he could feel it. Yet, he was confident that mentioning his theory to the potential identity of the girl in question could result in dire consequences for her, and perhaps him as well. Admitting his thoughts would not be wise until he had time to investigate them, no good could come from that. He drew in a deep breath and chose to stare straight ahead from himself as he spoke this time, “She has…” Movement on the path before him caused him to pause.

A grab of yellow and black was moving toward them. However, it was the flash of white he saw trailing behind that drew his attention. His head tilted slightly. The party before him followed his gaze. It took a minute for the Shirai Ryu member to reach the far side of the table and bow to the company. 

“Lord Raiden I ask you to pardon the intrusion. The young lady has awoken.” The man gestured to the woman who now stood beside him. “She insisted on being allowed to speak with you immediately and could not be persuaded otherwise.” The look in the man’s eyes spoke volumes more than his words. It seemed to be clear that, despite her slight frame, this girl could be quite the handful. A small smile came to the demigod’s face. He thanked the ninja and turned his attention to the girl as her escort turned to leave.

She stood straight before them. An air of grandeur surrounded her despite her appearance not matching it. Her extremely long and straight white hair flowed around her, unkept and unkempt, a clear sign she had only recently rolled herself from a bed mat. The white cloth still covered her body. It was tucked into the junctions of her arms and torso and wrapped around her body. Obviously, snug in some places while it hung lose in others. From her knees down was bare, including her feet. Yet, each of those details was simply glanced over. Raiden was trapped in the gaze of her eyes. Like his, they let off a soft glow, however, unlike his, they were not blue. Not any shade of blue, but a near lilac color. So light that unless one were to stare intensely, they would write them off as merely white as the rest of her seemed to be.

Her eyes darted around the table, stopping for a moment on each face before returning to Raiden. A strange mix of both knowing and confusion in her expression. Pursed lips with one raised brow and yet, eyes filled with knowledge beyond knowledge. The Thunder God felt a chill down his spine as he stared into the depths of her orbs. The idea of who she could be feeling both cemented and obliterated. Could she really have been the hourglass making a replacement for the timekeeper? Was she a second Kronika as he feared? Cetrion had also been lost, all the elder gods had been destroyed. Was she a replacement of one of them instead? Is it possible that she was not the only one to come into existence in the throes of the hourglass’ recovery? Another chill down his spine, he had not considered that before.

The silence that had fallen over the meeting was beginning to become too much for some. Kabal and Jacqui stiffened and shifted, causing Jade, Erron, Kung Lao to all follow suit. Sub-Zero moved to face the girl and draw a small amount of ice to his left hand under the table, ready if it were needed. Cassie glanced to Liu Kang, and both repositioned themselves to be able to quickly jump to their feet. Kitana simply stared at the girl along with Raiden. The white one had not moved her body since coming to a stop at the end of the table. The Empress turned her gaze to the Thunder God. His face held a frown, but his eyes were locked on her. Finally, the silence was broken by a voice matching the appearance of the barer, small, pure, elegant while dainty.

“I apologize,” the girl began, “I fear you have many questions that I am not able to answer.” Her eyes closed as she spoke, long ivory lashes spreading across her cheeks as they dampened the light of her orbs. Instantly, the group felt a peace come over them despite her words. As they relaxed their bodies, she continued with closed eyes, “I do not know the purpose of my existence, nor a name for which I am to be called. All of which I am sure is that I am to seek out Raiden.” Here she opened her pale eyes again, and they fell on Raiden, “I do not understand the reason, however.”

The Thunder God is taken aback by her words. He knew no answers for her. How would he even have such information? His eyes narrowed at her. She tilted her head in response. Raiden knew the others were staring at him now. He knew nothing about this girl, only had ideas, some of which would be less than popular among those who sat before him. And worst of all, he had no idea where to go to even try to find the answer. A long sigh escaped his mouth. No amount of standing there with a racing mind was going to get anyone anywhere. The best thing to do would get the girl situated so that he could begin his search for answers.

“This will not be well received by any here,” The Thunder God spoke, there was shifting from all present, “I know not any answer you seek. I know not even where such answer would reside.” There was a great deal of grumbling, mostly from those who stood. This was not lost to Raiden, he held up his hand to call for silence to return so that he could go on. It was begrudgingly awarded, “However, I will set to work on finding these answers posthaste. The Sky Temple may reveal to me a clue to where to seek them. In the meantime,” He gestured to the unnamed girl while looking to those who were seated, “I propose we agree upon a temporary name and measures to ensure that no ill will comes to her.”

The others nodded in agreement but remained silent. The girl, head still tilted, moved to grip the top of the cloth she was covered by tightly. This action caused a chuckle to come from Commander Cage, “Maybe we should make sure those measures include clothes? I did bring an extra set since I was unsure how long we were going to be here, but I have a feeling they aren’t your color. I’ll loan them to you, still, if you aren’t bothered by that. They are mostly green.”

 

When the girl turned to face Cassie, there was an audible gasp from Kitana, and the others fell to looks of surprise. The pallid locks of the girl’s head suddenly flooded with color. A soft green replaced the white beginning at the roots and flowing down to the ends of the strands where it seemed to pool into a darker shade. Along with her hair, her eyes shifted from the lilac-white to a glowing pale green.

A kind smile came to her mouth as she spoke her reply to the offer, “Color does not bother me.”

It was hard to speak with one’s mouth agape, not that Cassandra Cage could think of any words to say. Her mouth clamped shut, and she stood while shaking her head. She managed to make her way to stand next to the, now, green haired girl before her tongue remembered how to work. She turned to address Raiden, “If you will excuse me for a few, her and I will go and get her covered,” she glanced to Jacqui, “Sergeant Briggs can speak in my place until we get back.” With a nod from Raiden, the two turned and walked away, watched by the stunned assemblage.

“Lord Raiden?” Liu Kang broke the stillness that had fallen with the departure of the Commander. The Thunder God and others wordlessly gave their attention to the monk. “Would you know of a god who could shift their coloring the way she did?”

“Not in the same manner, but the gods have as much diversity as mortals do, Liu Kang. I too have wondered if she were to be considered among my kind. I have only grown more convinced now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready for some colors? Colors incoming soon... and maybe a name too.

**Author's Note:**

> I have chosen to go ahead and begin posting this story. There will be consistent updates for a while and if all goes well and I do not lose interest or have a block they will keep going. I have the idea to use a gimmick in this story, one I do not see very often but as of right now, it has not been introduced and I am not fully set on it. Please tell me what you think so far.


End file.
